The mid-week food news update:

-Jane de Graaff

Bills Darlinghurst gets a facelift

Bill Granger's international empire Bills never seems to slow. In February we announced that he'd be launching a fourth London venue – to add to his restaurants in Seoul, Honolulu and Tokyo – but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about us all back here in Aus. On the contrary, he's just revamped his iconic Darlinghurst venue with the help of interior designers Meacham Nockles, playing on the design aesthetics of the Bondi venue. The new look was unveiled just before the Easter long weekend, light, bright and white and filled with 1960's 70's inspired lights to set the mood. The restaurateur and design combo have worked together on Granger & Co in London's Notting Hill, Bills Hawaii, a number of Bills venues in Japan and the soon-to-open Granger & Co Chelsea. The look might have changed, but we're assured that the food Bills is known for will retain the breakfasts we know and love.

Bills' legendary ricotta cakes have been doing us proud overseas for a while

Tea for more than two

Tea lovers rejoice, on Saturday May 20, 2017 the Melbourne Tea Festival will be back, showcasing all things loose leaf. This will be the second year for the festival in Melbourne (don't worry Sydney, you've got one coming later this year, so watch this space) and if last year is anything to go by we can expect talks and demonstrations of everything from the latest tea brewing techniques to rare and exiting teas from around the globe, including hand crafted wet chai, kombucha on tap, a custom tea station where you can blend your own tea and native Australian tea ceremonies.
Hosted at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, it's the biggest thing in tea and includes a tea market showcasing ceramics and all the tea ware you could possibly desire. Oh yes, and there's a ceramic cup included in the ticket price, so you can wander and refill all day. Tickets start at $15.90 (kids under 12 are free). Pop the kettle on.

(Supplied)Melbourne Tea Festival 2016, tea ceremony

Coffee of no colour

Not to be outdone by tea drinkers and their festivals, progressive coffee drinkers are stirring things up again, with a clear coffee product hitting the market in recent months but causing some questions in the last few days. The drink, Clr Cff, is touted as the first colourless coffee in the world (apart from an April Fool's joke several years ago), and is the work of Slovakian brothers David and Adam Nagy. It's currently available in the UK and to order online. While we were unable to find out what the process is that removes the colour from the coffee (the boys are cagey about what they reveal), the product's website claims that it it's 'made from high quality Arabica coffee beans and pure water. It is produced by methods which have never been used before', and it also claims to be free of preservatives, artificial flavours, stabilizers, sugar and any sweeteners. Apparently the taste is unique (so says the site), though it has been reported widely that you'll be disappointed if you're expecting your usual coffee experience. We say try it with an open mind, and if nothing else, you might be sold on the Nagy's idea that it will save your white teeth from the usual coffee stains. Until we can get our hands on some, at 9Kitchen we're pretty happy with the regular old coffee coloured coffee.

Clear coffee looks pretty enough, but we're still not sure how it's made

Earlier this week:

-Freya Herring

It's Wet'n'Wild… with booze

Feeling thirsty in Bali? Well of course you are, it's a darn hot place. Well, while we already noted that Mrs Sippy was heading to Bali, now they are open for business and sending all of your thirst-quenched worries to the sea. Designed by superstar architect Kelvin Ho, it opened last week in Seminyak, and is an off-shoot of Mrs Sippy in Sydney's Double Bay. Alongside wood-fired eats like pizza and fresh seafood, the venue also boasts a giant saltwater pool replete with a 5m dive platform. Just watch how many Piña Coladas you gulp down before you dive off, k?

(Supplied)Poolside at Mrs SippyBali

Alpha's baklava muffins

Getting sick of chocolate after the Easter weekend? (What, are you mad?!) Well Sydney's Alpha restaurant and food store has the sugary solution: baklava muffins. The spiced batter is laced with honey and tossed with roasted walnuts, hazelnuts and dark chocolate, wrapped in filo and topped with chocolate hazelnut baklava. Who said sugar is bad for you anyway? Liars, that's who.

(Supplied)Alpha's baklava muffins are a thing

Meatstock heads for Melbourne

Like barbecue? Of course you do, this is Australia after all. Well in that case, Melbourne peeps will be happy to hear that barbecue festival Meatstock is making its way to you this coming weekend, and some of the world's greatest pit masters will be there to show you how it's done. Tuffy Stone, who is a judge on US show BBQ Pitmasters, will be running a class on barbecue, and there will be so much meat at the butcher's competition you will need to ready yourself for the meat sweats. Luckily, there are also a whole host of musicians playing at the festival, so you might not even notice if you're dancing hard enough.

The Grounds goes for music and pizza

Thought Australia's most Instagrammed restaurant, The Grounds, was just for food? Well think again, because this Friday night they're hosting a Thandi Phoenix gig in their very beautiful gardens. There will be pizza by way of their wood-fired ovens, and wine, beer and even some glitzy cocktails from their Soda Barn onsite. And the best bit? Entry is completely free. Doors open at 7pm.